Women in Trouble

When Li Shi woke up from the cave in the morning, she found a gun and a dagger where Luo Jun had been lying. She realized Luo Jun had left.

Her feet were still not fully healed, but they didn't hurt as much as the previous night.

She slipped on her socks, now stained purple, and carefully put on her shoes, slowly walking out of the cave.

The cold outside air sent a chill through her body.

She saw a desolate wilderness around her, and a sense of fear from being away from people eroded her already fragile independence.

The strength she displayed came from the presence of others by her side.

As long as someone was with her, she wouldn't feel afraid, even if it was a child younger than her – at least that would trigger her protective instincts.

She looked around, swallowed hard, then ran back and picked up the gun from the ground, tucking the dagger into her belt.

This gave her a sense of security.

Although Luo Jun had taught her many survival skills, when she truly had to face being alone, she lacked the courage.

So she walked up the rocky slope, looked around, then came back down and sat in the cave.

"Uncle will surely come back for me! I'll just wait here."

Li Shi comforted herself like this, checking the remaining food and fresh water.

She didn't dare eat too much food, as digestion would consume a lot of water, making her feel very thirsty. Her bamboo tube only had two-thirds of water left.

It would barely last two days and one night.

As long as she had food, going hungry for a day or two wouldn't be a problem.

Thinking this, she put the stakes back in front of her.

There were many ways to overcome fear and loneliness, but most of them required environmental advantages. Reading, knitting, playing with electronics, and other distracting activities helped, but none of those were available in the wilderness. So it was easy to sink deeper into those feelings.

Just like some patients with claustrophobia, when they were alone in a sealed space, their attention would be completely focused on fear.

So as long as they didn't leave that enclosed environment, those with claustrophobia would become more and more crazed.

Unless there was something to distract their attention from the oppressive feeling of the environment.

Although Li Shi had always thought of herself as an independent, strong woman, the truth was, she had no choice. Her parents were not around, and until she was six years old, she didn't even live in China – she was cared for by a nanny in a villa. Once, the nanny died in a car accident on her way to work, and Li Shi's parents didn't know about it until two days later.

A five-year-old child lived alone at home for two days, with no one else around, day or night.

One can only imagine...

After that, Li Shi was terrified of being alone.

But to resist this inner weakness, she always put on a very strong appearance to hide her true fear.

It was a psychological self-defense mechanism.

She sat alone in the cave, hugging her knees tightly, nervously watching the narrow entrance, her body trembling as tears unwittingly flowed out.

...

The women on the beach cried helplessly around the bonfire.

There were eighteen women in total, eleven young women and seven middle-aged women.

Among the eleven young women, seven were recently married, and some of their husbands had already died in the woods, while others had entered the forest with the captain and the mercenaries.

It was unknown whether they could make it back alive.

Now they needed a leader to guide everyone, as without the men, they could only rely on themselves to survive.

"We can't wait here anymore. Jones betrayed us, and the men have entered the forest with the mercenaries. Once they find what they're looking for, they will definitely kill our men. When they return to the shore and find the ship is gone, they won't spare us either."

The speaker was Aisha, the woman who had previously attended to Jones.

She had two young daughters, sixteen and eighteen, who were by her side, assisting their distressed mother.

"Where can we go? If we leave here, we'll starve and freeze to death!"

Someone said, as the women looked at their thin clothing.

"Yes, and if the men come back and don't find us here, they'll think we left with Jones."

The women couldn't make up their minds, especially those whose husbands were still part of the team – they were unwilling to leave.

Aisha saw their foolishness and felt anxious inside.

Although she didn't expect Jones to betray them, she had spent some time around him and knew how cunning he was. Being around such a person, she must have picked up some insights.

Even a little would provide her a chance at survival.

"Haven't you witnessed their cruelty? They're just as cold-blooded and ruthless as Jones. We're no longer useful to them, and with your men in their hands, they're sure to kill them and worry you might retaliate. They won't let you live either. Even single women – do you really think they'll take good care of you? Other than venting their desires, as long as they don't starve you to death, they can continue abusing you. And if you get pregnant, do you think you can survive here?"

Aisha's words silenced the women.

It was one thing on the island, where there were safety measures. But on this deserted island, those men only interested in their own gratification would never care whether the women lived or died.

In such an environment, getting pregnant would be a death sentence. Not to mention the risks of infection during childbirth, even the basic living conditions during pregnancy couldn't be met. With malnutrition, the fetus would die in the womb, and the woman would miscarry. Without medical care, it was equally deadly.

"But we have nowhere to go!"

The women cried.

Aisha thought of Luo Jun, but she couldn't mention him, because then the women would accuse her of hiding information from them and she would be ostracized.

Moreover, she had previously been with Jones, so their resentment would be directed at her.

She wasn't afraid for herself, but feared for her two daughters, that they might be attacked. Human nature could not withstand such trials – the harsher the living conditions, the deeper the hatred would grow.

Once it erupted, lives could be lost!

So she could only temporarily lead them away from here, until Luo Jun's reinforcements arrived.

Of course, she didn't know there would be no reinforcements.

And she now regretted telling Jones about Luo Jun. If she hadn't, things might have turned out differently.

"We've been living on the island for two months and learned some basic survival skills. We can survive in the forest. We don't need to go far, just follow the river upstream. As long as we have water, we can find a campsite by the river, and with the rice Jones left for us, we can survive for some time."

Aisha looked at the piles of rice and canned food by the tents.

Those were what Jones had ordered them to bring from the ship – Jones' final act of kindness.